Scintillating Somerset strokemaker Jos Buttler has been called up to the
England one-day international squad. Here are some things you (hopefully)
did not know about him:

1) Born and raised in Taunton, Joseph ‘Jos’ Buttler was a prolific run-scorer at the town’s King’s College where he shared a national schools’ record opening partnership of 340 with 15-year-old Alex Barrow in a 50-over match against King’s Bruton in April 2008. Buttler, then 17, made 227 with Barrow, who has followed him on to Somerset’s staff, scoring 95. Buttler captained King’s for two seasons and was the Wisden Young Cricketer of the Year in 2010.

2) Buttler made his first-class debut against Lancashire in September 2009, the day after his 19th birthday. His breakthrough came last year while Craig Kieswetter, Somerset’s regular batsman-wicketkeeper, was away on England duty. Buttler averaged 55 in CB40 cricket and more than 30 in the other two competitions. He made 55 from just 23 balls in Somerset’s Twenty20 Cup semi-final win over Nottinghamshire at the Rose Bowl.

3) Somerset rewarded Buttler with a new three-year contract and their director of cricket Brian Rose compared his nerveless exuberance to that of a young Ian Botham. “Some of the innings that he has played for someone of his age have been quite outstanding. It reminds me of a young Ian Botham demonstrating that sort of talent at that level straight away in one-day cricket,” Rose said.

4) Buttler was dropped from Somerset’s championship side early in the 2011 season but his quick-footed improvisation helped them reach the final of the Friends Life T20 and CB40. He made 34 from 14 balls in the T20 quarter-final win over Nottinghamshire, 32 from 16 balls in the semi-final against Hampshire and 86 from 72 balls in the CB40 final defeat by Surrey.

5) Buttler made his international Twenty20 debut against India at Old Trafford in August 2011 and played in England’s subsequent T20 internationals against the West Indies in September and India in October. Two centuries, including 102 from 56 balls in the opening match in Dambulla, for England Lions against Sri Lanka A have propelled Buttler into the senior one-day squad.